“He’s got hands like vise grips,” said linebacker Victor Butler, who has grappled with the USC alum’s bear-like paws plenty in practice. “Don’t let him touch you. If he touches you, it’s a rout. He locks on and you can’t get the guy off you. You need the jaws of life. It’s incredible.”

Fourth-round left guard David Arkin is envious, “I’ve never seen anybody with stronger hands.”

After a slow start at training camp, Smith is starting to show why the Cowboys drafted him ninth overall, Jerry Jones said Saturday.

“Smith is playing at the level we hoped he’d play,” Jones said. “What is impressive about him is how conscientious, how hard a worker and how serious he is about getting better. He’s a serious guy. He’s got work ethic. That’s what we hoped we’d have. I put a big plus by him when we drafted him for character, because of his work ethic. And that’s showing up out here. He’s really got some great upbringing relative to his work.”